Devices are now quite well known for administering medicaments contained in capsules to patients suffering from bronchial conditions such as, for example, bronchial asthma. It is well known for medicament in powder or other finely divided form to be supplied in capsules which are loaded by a patient into such a device. The medicament is then released from the capsule and inhaled by the patient, usually through the mouth, but sometimes through the nose.
The specifications of PCT Application Publication No. WO82/01470 and U.K. Patent Specification No. 1387954 both describe devices for dispensing medicament in powder form from capsules. In each of these previously described devices, the capsules are mounted on a rotatable support member on which each capsule in turn can be brought to a position in which it is opened to enable medicament to exit from the capsule to permit it to be inhaled by a patient inhaling through a mouthpiece of the device. In the device described in U.K. Specification No. 1387954, the capsules may be mounted in a so-called blister pack.
There are disadvantages in the use of capsules, which are made of gelatin, to contain medicaments. Gelatin is relatively unstable and is lacking in physical strength so that the capsules need to be protected by packaging, for example in glass bottles. Environmental degradation of both the capsules and their contents may occur in a relatively short time.